Arena Market: Baltic States
The larger arenas of Lithuania tend to draw more international touring acts than those of their Baltic neighbours. But both Estonia and Latvia also have successful arenas that host sporting events (basketball is hugely popular in the region), local talent, and slightly smaller international artists.
Formerly known as Arēna Rīga, Latvia’s foremost arena was recently renamed Xiaomi Arēna through a major partnership with the Chinese tech corporation.
With a maximum capacity of 14,500, it has hosted concerts by Andrea Bocelli and Thirty Seconds To Mars in recent months and has The Offspring and Scorpions scheduled for later this year. Nevertheless, the venue has seen a marked decline in international tours visiting the country.
“After Covid, we reoriented our business model more around sports, and it has paid off,” explains Xiaomi Arēna chairman Șirts Krastiņš. “At the same time, more local acts are ready to do arena shows, so that’s how we are balancing out the decline of international acts.”
The 9,500-capacity Unibet Arena in Tallinn…
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